A Guide to Teaching 

Earth System Science

OUR MISSION TO PLANET EARTH

Educational Product

Teachers Grades K-4

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration
Our Mission to Planet Earth—A Guide to Teaching

Earth System Science is available in electronic format

through NASA Spacelink—one of the Agency's electronic resources specifically developed for use by the

educational community.

The system may be accessed at the following address:

http://spacelink.nasa.gov
OUR MISSION TO PLANET EARTH

A Guide to Teaching Earth System Science

This publication is in the Public Domain and is not protected by copyright. Permission is not required for duplication.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Office of Mission to Planet Earth

Office of Human Resources and Education

Education Division

EP-1997-12-292-HQ
Acknowledgments

Julia Berry

St. Patrick’s Episcopal School

Washington, DC

Elizabeth Fucella Burgos

Abingdon Elementary School

Arlington, VA

Shelley Novaco

Ridgecrest Elementary School

Chillum, MD

Don Petersen

Willow Springs School

Fairfax, VA

Margaret Longo

Mill Creek Towne Elementary School

Derwood, MD

Irene Morris

Stevens Elementary School

Washington, DC

NASA wishes to express its deep appreciation and gratitude to the teachers who helped in

reviewing and developing “Our Mission to Planet Earth.”
Table of Contents

Introduction A Guide to Teaching Earth System Science ...............................................1

Unit 1 Demonstrating the View from Space.........................................................5

Earth From Energy ......................................................................................................6

Space Creating an Earth System Model ...............................................................7

Systems ....................................................................................................8

Unit 2 Cycles: How Earth's Components Interact within the System .................11

Forces of Water Cycle............................................................................................12 

Change Water Cycle Changes .............................................................................14

Unit 3 Global Environmental Impacts................................................................17

Global Change Land-use Changes: Deserts .....................................................................18

Greenhouse Effect: Global Warming.......................................................19

Global Cooling.......................................................................................21

Unit 4 Satellites: Observing the Whole Earth ....................................................23

Mission to Satellites .................................................................................................26

Planet Earth Instruments.............................................................................................26

Satellite Design.......................................................................................26

Data .......................................................................................................27

Modeling................................................................................................27

Careers ...................................................................................................30

NASA Resources 

for Educators ...............................................................................................................33
Volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, floods, and El Niño are naturally occurring

events over which humans have no control. But can human activities cause

additional environmental change? Can scientists predict the global impacts

of increased levels of pollutants in the atmosphere? Will the planet warm

because increased levels of greenhouse gases, produced by the burning of

fossil fuels, trap heat and prevent it from being radiated back into space?

Will the polar ice caps melt, causing massive coastal flooding? Have

humans initiated wholesale climatic change?

These are difficult questions, with grave implications. Predicting global

change and understanding the relationships among Earth’s components

have become a priority for the nation. The National Aeronautics and Space

Administration (NASA), along with many other government agencies, has initiated long-term studies of Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, and land masses using

observations from satellite-, balloon-, and aircraft-borne instruments. NASA

calls its research program Mission to Planet Earth. Because NASA can place

scientific instruments far above Earth’s surface, the program allows scientists

to explore Earth’s components and their interactions on a global scale.

Although this program will never answer all the questions, NASA realizes

that understanding the planet will not happen by examining pieces one at 

a time; it will take teams of biologists, physicists, chemists, and geologists

working together to fully understand Earth as a system. Earth Science, in

short, must be an interdisciplinary challenge. The scope of Earth Science 

is sometimes limited to the study of geology and some closely allied fields,

such as oceanography. The Mission to Planet Earth calls for an interdisciplinary approach including biology, chemistry, and physics.

1

OUR MISSION TO PLANET EARTH

A Guide to Teaching Earth System Science

Introduction

Earth as 

a System
This leads to why NASA initiated the development of “Our Mission to

Planet Earth: A Guide to Teaching Earth System Science.” The children in

your classrooms today could become the scientists of tomorrow who will

analyze the data streaming back to Earth via satellite communications.

NASA will look to their generation for talent. Consequently, children’s

exposure to the concept of Earth as a system cannot begin too early. Even if

your students do not pursue careers in Earth Science, they must understand

Earth System Science. They could face the challenge of trying to adapt to

global climate change. 

This teacher’s guide is not meant to replace the existing curricula of your

local school jurisdiction, but rather to augment it. The primary goal is for

children to become familiar with the concept of cycles, defined as a process

that repeats itself in the same order, and to learn that some human activities

can cause changes in their environment. 

It is assumed in this guide that children are already studying the basics of

Earth Science. They have learned about the planet’s primary components—

its land, air, and water, and understand the role of the Sun in providing us

with energy. Although the guide addresses Earth’s components, it does so

from the perspective of space to show the planet as a large system, with

interacting parts. To demonstrate on a much smaller scale how these parts

work together, children are asked to build their own Earth system, a terrarium, which will be used for experimentation throughout the guide. For

instance, your students observe how water evaporates due to the Sun’s radiation and eventually condenses to form clouds. They are exposed to the

relationship between land and water, and the topographical changes due to

erosion. Through experimentation with the terrarium, they learn about the

impact of global change on the system. 

After completing these lessons, they learn how scientists use satellite technology to examine the entire planet as a whole to study global climate—the

basics of NASA’s Mission to Planet Earth program. They create their own

models of instruments and satellites and learn about careers in Earth System

Science. Although some younger children may understand these concepts,

the activities are geared primarily to second and third graders. For kindergarten and first grade teachers, however, this should not preclude you from

incorporating some of the activities into your lessons.

2

Cycles and

Change
“Our Mission to Planet Earth” is designed to reinforce basic skills. Through

hands-on activities, experiments, and discussions, students practice how to

identify, classify, organize, and recall information. They become familiar

with new vocabulary. You are encouraged to create any type of scenario—

pretending, for instance, that students are Earth scientists—to make the

lessons come to life. Above all, the program is aimed at allowing younger

people to recognize themselves as part of the Earth system.

For NASA, the challenge has been to develop a package that makes integrated Earth Science compelling, understandable, and interesting to young

minds. NASA has a vested interest. The agency, after all, is depending on

your students to become the engineers, scientists, and technicians of tomorrow, those who will build the next generation of satellites or interpret the

data and inform leaders of responsible environmental policies. While many

of your students will pursue other roles in society, an understanding of the

Earth system is still important. They could face the more daunting, longterm challenge of trying to control or adapt to global climate change.

Our Mission to Planet Earth includes a teacher’s guide and a set of seven

lithographs designed to illustrate key lessons in the package. Although

NASA has recommended specific lithographs for each unit (see “Visuals”

selection of each unit), you may use other visuals to augment the lessons.

Photographs found in magazines, newspapers and other sources work well,

as do posters and slides. 

3

Tomorrow’s

Scientists,

Engineers, and 

Technicians
4
Photographs of Earth taken from space show that our planet is a single system. When students observe Earth from this perspective, they can readily

see oceans, clouds, and continents that are lit by sunlight, the energy that

supports life on Earth. We do not know of any other planet that has water

and an atmosphere like Earth’s. (However, the components alone—solids,

liquids, gases—without continuous changes in temperature, composition,

and chemistry, might not support life as we know it.) To understand the way

the Earth system works, students first must learn what these components are

and then examine ways that they interact and change. To do this, they will

build terrariums as models of Earth. Throughout these four units, students

will learn how scientists study Earth’s system to understand human-induced

and natural changes. 

Students will be able to:

• Identify in photographs Earth’s components from space: water (oceans, 

bays, rivers), land (continents), and air (atmosphere). 

• Find the atmosphere in a photograph showing the limb (curved edge) 

of Earth.

• Identify the Sun as the source of energy and life on Earth.

• Recognize that different-colored components absorb and reflect 

sunlight differently.

• NASA Lithograph: View of Earth

• NASA Lithograph: Water is a Force of Change

• NASA Lithograph: TOPEX/Poseidon. Photo of Earth limb from space 

showing Earth’s atmosphere. 

5

EARTH FR M SPACE

Demonstrating the View from Space

Introduction

Objectives

Visuals

Unit 1
Absorb Heat River

Atmosphere Land Soil

Cloud Ocean Sunlight

Continent Oxygen Surface

Earth Reflect Terrarium

Demonstrating the View from Space.

Films, videos, and photos: Show aerial and space views of Earth to help

students understand that the air, land, and water seen in the photo are the

same as those seen from the ground; they just are seen from a different perspective. Ask students who have flown in airplanes or climbed to the top of

tall mountains to describe what they saw. Point to the U.S. in the photo of

Earth from Space. If they are not familiar with the U.S. map, explain that

large areas of land are visible from space and that it would take many hours

to drive by car from one area to another. Use common local trips to help

your students relate to distances.

The Sun’s radiation is the source of energy for the Earth system. The heat

and light allow plants and animals to thrive. The radiation also supplies the

energy for many of the cycles among the atmosphere, oceans, and land.

Air, land, and water absorb or reflect energy differently, affecting weather

patterns, ocean currents, winds, and temperatures. Deserts and clouds

reflect a great deal of energy, while ocean surfaces and forests reflect less.

The warming of Earth’s atmosphere moderates the temperatures around the

globe making it inhabitable by living things. 

6

Vocabulary

Activities

BALTIMORE

ANNAPOLIS

WASHINGTON

D.C.

M

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CHESAPEAKE 

BAY

Energy
White sand, black potting soil, and light grey gravel, three thermometers,

three clear glass bowls. (Many heat-resistant, hard, fine-grained potting

materials could work.) Be sure to use one white and one black for contrast

in absoption of energy.

Demonstrating Absorption of Solar Energy.

To demonstrate the effects of solar energy on our planet, students must

learn that components of the Earth system absorb sunlight differently.

Place sand, gravel,and soil in each of the three glass bowls and insert one

of the thermometers just below the surface of each material. Leave the

containers in sunlight for several hours. White sand represents the clouds

and snow; black soil, the land (forest, green grass); and grey, the ocean or

dead grass. Ask the students to compare the temperatures to see how the

differently colored materials absorb heat. 

Under which materials would you put ice if you wanted it to melt faster? Try it.

Lighter colors reflect more light (stay cooler); darker colors absorb more

light (get warmer). Clean white surfaces, like snow, reflect about 90% of the

light hitting them. City snow-removal crews could put dark soil on piles of

snow when they want the snow to melt faster.

Students should build a small Earth environment to understand that the

components fit together, and that they interact and change. Students may

create a terrarium using animals and plants. Include a pond in the terrarium. The terrarium could show land, air, water, and energy. The easiest

method to control the conditions during the experiments found in the next

two lessons is to build one large group terrarium and several small ones 

(up to six). Some students may choose to pick a particular environment.

One student team might work with sandy soil and cactuses, for example,

and another might fill an aquarium with tadpoles and pond plants. 

Extra Activity

Observation 

Materials

Creating an Earth System Model

Introduction

7
Terrarium. Potting soil, gravel, activated charcoal, sand, clay, rocks, and

small plants. Rectangular glass tank, watering can with a thermometer

inside. Small glass bowl to sink in the soil as a pond. Small plastic toys

loaned by the students. Optional occupants: salamanders, newts, turtles,

insects, frogs, or fish. (Fish will die in a little bowl; each one requires at least

one gallon of water, which needs to be changed regularly.) Laws govern the

capture and handling of wildlife, so check with your state, city, or federal

authorities. Several of these animals can be purchased from pet stores for as

little as five dollars.

Aquarium System Terrarium

A “system” is a group of elements that interact and function together as a

whole. To help students understand the complexity of a “system,” discuss

other systems found in their immediate environment. School, neighborhoods,

families, and local public transportation services all can be classified as systems.

Second, to help students recognize the impact of change, ask students

whether those systems ever malfunctioned. Was the bus late? Do large

snowstorms sometimes close school? Tell them that to understand how the

system works, they are going to construct their own model of an Earth system.

Later, when all the components are in the terrariums, the students can conduct experiments to observe how the components interact with each other.

How to building the model Earth system, with several approaches to construction. Students should build an unsealed terrarium (open system) unless

the teacher has experience with closed-system terrariums.

8

Vocabulary

Systems

Activity

Bowl/Pond

2-5” soil

~1/4”charcoal

1-11/2” gravel

Soils

Materials
Terrariums or aquariums would work best in a class that has time to watch

living things grow. A version built by the whole group might be better suited

to K and Grade 1, while team or individually built versions would work

well for Grades 2 or 3. To conduct the terrarium experiments found

throughout the guide, classes will need at least six jar-size terrariums. 

Do not use terrariums containing live animals in any of the experiments.

Some of the experiments could harm the animals. 

Terrarium: Part 1, Setting up the Terrariums.

(A follow-up to this experiment will be conducted in subsequent lessons.)

Use one of the terrariums or separate containers. Set up an experiment

monitoring plant growth and plant appearance in which frequency of watering, water temperature, exposure to fresh air, soil, and light at the start are as

constant as possible. Select plants with different light or water requirements

and establish if they thrive under these starting conditions. Select rapidgrowing grasses or flowers and slow-growing cactuses, succulents, ferns,

etc. Note their condition and growth on a chart (see model, page 10) or in

notebooks. Later, students will experiment with the terrariums by altering

one of the components, either exposure to light or frequency of watering, to

see how changes affect the various types of plants. To teach the activity as a

more controlled experiment, set up two identical containers for each plant

variety. Allow a few days for them to stabilize, then use one as the control

and one as the experimental mini-terrarium.

9

Observation
10

Type of Plant 

Terrarium Observation Chart

Hours of Light

Exposure

Frequency of

Watering

Room 

Temperature

Soil 

Type
Cycles: How Earth’s Components 

Interact within the System

A demonstration of the water cycle using a terrarium is an ideal model for

your class to observe changes that occur in the Earth system. Looking at the

whole planet, cycles include events occurring over very large areas and

long periods of time, so they are difficult to see from the surface. In the

“model Earth,” events can cause immediate and dramatic changes. The

next two units use the water cycle and the effects of erosion and drought 

to demonstrate the principle of cycles in the Earth system. 

Cycles, like the seasons, are a natural occurrence on Earth. Earth’s cycles

provide a balance to which people and nature have adapted. The water

cycle spreads life-giving water and minerals within local regions and

around the world. 

Students will be able to:

• Recognize that because air, land, and water absorb and reflect sunlight 

differently, they all affect the water cycle.

• Document in a notebook or on a group-produced chart a “scientific 

investigation” using the terrarium. Observe, measure, and make predictions about changes to the components of the terrariums. 

• Name the parts of a water cycle on Earth and in the terrarium: water, 

evaporation by the Sun, clouds, rain or snow (precipitation), rivers, 

lakes, oceans and ice, etc.

• Describe what happens to the soil and the plants in the terrarium when 

they has too much water (flood).

• Predict how too much rain might affect soils and plants on Earth.

• Describe what happens to the soil and the plants when they get sunlight 

but too little water (drought).

11

F RCES OF CHANGE

Introduction

Objectives

Unit 2
NASA Lithograph: Water is a Force of Change

Cycles Erosion Moisture

Dissolve Evaporation Precipitation

Drought Global Change Water Cycle

A cycle is a sequence of events that repeats itself, such as the seasonal cycle:

summer, fall, winter, and spring. In the Earth system, the same components

interact repeatedly; the water cycle is a good example. Sunlight evaporates

water; the moisture rises into the atmosphere, where it condenses as clouds.

When the warm, moisture-laden clouds meet colder air, the temperature

drop makes the water vapor precipitate and fall to Earth as rain or snow.

On land, water soaks into the ground or flows to the oceans and lakes by

streams and rivers. This water is redistributed across Earth as water vapor,

clouds, and rivers or snow and ice.

Water

Cycle

12

Visuals

Vocabulary

Ocean

Ground Water

Lake
Demonstrating the Water Cycle.

Glass or plastic to cover the terrarium, bowl or mirror, wet towel, 

household iron.

Terrarium: Part 2, Demonstrating the Water Cycle: Catch a Cloud.

Cover the terrarium and observe how moisture collects on the glass and

drips down the sides of the terrarium. Ask the students to guess why this

happens. You can also generate water vapor by ironing a towel or boiling

water in a covered pot. Either can represent the Sun heating Earth. Hold a

glass bowl or large mirror over the rising steam and “catch a cloud.”

Demonstrating Evaporation.

Demonstrate evaporation of water from a puddle. On a sunny day, pour a

cup of water on the sidewalk. Have students draw a circle around the

perimeter with chalk. Tell them to come back in 30 minutes to see the puddle. Create a smaller puddle indoors by putting drops of water on a baking

sheet. Use a hair dryer on the puddle to represent a warm, windy day when

the Sun is shining. Ask them where the water went and why. 

Terrarium as a System.

Record information about the terrarium experiment on a wall chart or in

individual notebooks. Draw pictures of the different plant species both

before and after conditions are changed.

Terrarium: Part 3, Changes to the System.

Continue to track the conditions of the plants in a terrarium. To make the

terrarium climate more like Earth’s, change one of the conditions (either

provide more or less water or reduce or increase the exposure to light).

Monitor each of the plants’ growth under this new condition. Students

should note all changes to the plants and how much water and sunlight

they received. Plants grow long and weak and lose some of their color if

they need more light, or they wilt and dry out when they need more water.

13

Activities

Materials

Observations
Living things are highly dependent on the water cycle. Some creatures living in lakes, rivers, or streams will be affected if water levels rise or fall. Too

little rain, which results in a drought, can weaken or kill plants, thus reducing

food for animals. People and animals can migrate to food and water, but if

the drought continues or spreads, eventually they will die. 

Too much snow or rain, on the other hand, can drown plants or create

floods that wash away land (plant and animal habitats) and flush pesticides

and industrial chemicals into rivers. With flooding, erosion sometimes

occurs. While erosion is a natural process, careless practices by humans

can cause loss of valuable topsoil and contribute to the spreading of deserts

in the world. 

Terrarium: Part 4, Demonstrating Erosion.

Use the terrarium as a model of Earth to demonstrate how water can carry

materials from one place to another through erosion of soils or dissolution

of minerals. 

One of the terrariums, or empty jar and soil; source of tap water; bag of salt;

paper cups.

Demonstrate by pouring water onto the terrarium soil how land erodes and

destroys vegetation. The water will wash soil into the terrarium pond and

make it cloudy. Particles of dirt, sand, and small pebbles are suspended in

the water as a mixture. If the students did not build a terrarium, mix dirt

with water in a jar and stir to show how the particles are suspended when

the water is moving. You could create a canyon on a baking sheet. Fill a

shallow pan with soil. To slowly pour water on the soil, poke a hole in the

side of a Styrofoam cup half an inch from the bottom. Set the pan at a low

angle. At the high end set the cup and fill it with water. The water will trickle

out and make a small canyon in the pan.

14

Observation

Materials

Mixing

Water

Cycle

Changes
Water can dissolve minerals from rock and soil. For example, mineral water

comes from deep within the ground. Tell students to watch salt crystals disappear as they stir a teaspoon full into a glass of water. By tasting, compare

a glass of salted tap water to one of plain tap water. Ask students if they have

ever swam in the ocean. Did they swallow any water? How did it taste? Why?

Erosion/Drought. 

1. Erosion Field Trip: Visit muddy creeks, ponds, river deltas, flood plains, 

or hillsides plagued by erosion. Explain how water washes away soil 

and then deposits it in another location. 

2. Film or photograph viewing: Let the students watch films or study pictures of drought-stricken farmlands to see what happens when valuable 

topsoil is blown away. Show photographs from NASA Space Shuttle 

flights (see lithograph “Water is a Force Changing”) of soil-laden rivers 

flowing into the ocean such as the mouth of the Amazon River. Photos 

from space show the huge areas subjected to flooding and the large volumes of water carrying soil. The color lithograph of the Nile River 

Delta/Sinai Peninsula shows how the river erodes the banks and carries 

soil down river. The soil is eventually deposited at the mouth of the 

river, where the materials form a new land mass.

15

Activities

Dissolving
3. Impact on Human Lives: Find magazine and newspaper stories about 

floods, especially those that describe the plight of individual farmers and

the efforts of volunteer sandbaggers, rescue groups, water and sewer 

pump-station managers. Read the news stories to the students and ask 

them to embellish them with more details and pictures. They could 

invent additional family members and describe what happened to those 

people, too. Create little books, like photo albums, illustrated with 

drawings about these flood-time “heroes.”

What problem does erosion present for farmers and for nearby waterways?

How can farmers prevent erosion? Erosion also affects forests and beaches;

what needs to be done to protect these lands?

• Erosion washes away rich topsoil—the soil in which plants grow best. 

Waterways are affected by runoff of chemical fertilizers and manure. 

Farmers can prevent erosion by carefully plowing their fields and planting 

another crop or hay after harvest. 

• Foresters should avoid clearcutting trees and replace trees that they 

have logged. 

• To stop beach erosion, people should maintain or plant grasses and 

trees, import sand after erosion has occurred, and avoid using jetties that

trap sand in one area of the beach at the expense of another. 

16

Discussion
To recognize the impact of human activities on the Earth system, students

should be introduced to some of the changes affecting the whole planet.

This unit illustrates examples of land-use changes and global warming and

cooling. Students’ model Earth terrariums will be used to demonstrate the

greenhouse effect and the difference between global warming and cooling.

Global change is a complicated subject even for scientists. An integrated

approach to Earth science research is needed to understand how local and

regional impacts can become global-scale environmental problems.

Terrarium or jar, and U. S. maps showing coasts.

The student will be able to:

• Associate global change vocabulary words with pictures of environmental changes.

• Recognize that human activities are a force of global change on Earth 

(desertification, disappearance of forests, air pollution, global warming). 

• Demonstrate that changes to one of the components in the terrarium can

cause changes to all the components.

• As a member of a team, demonstrate how the terrarium is a greenhouse.

NASA Lithograph: Water is a Force of Change

Deforestation Greenhouse Rain Forest

Desert Pollution Volcanoes

Global warming

17

Global Environmental Impacts

GL BAL CHANGE

Introduction

Objectives

Materials

Visuals

Vocabulary

Unit 3
Deserts occur naturally, but people also help to create them. In their search

for more farmland, people around the world have pushed into areas that

naturally supported only grasses and shrubs, like the Midwestern prairie.

These plants, with their deep root mat and/or succulent leaves and stems,

adapt to periodic drought. However, when farmers plowed under these

plants and planted food crops that depended on greater rainfall and richer

soil, they damaged the area’s natural balance. 

During short-term droughts, these ill-adapted crops failed to hold water and

large areas dried out. Livestock worsened the situation. Confined by humans

to pastures, they overgrazed and killed the roots of native grasses. When rain

did come, it washed away the mineral-rich topsoil. The farmers eventually

moved on, leaving behind unproductive, dry land. The photo of the Sinai

Peninsula in Algeria shows what deserts look like from space. Some of the

desert lands in the Middle East were fertile farmlands a few thousand years ago.

18

Land-Use

Changes
In recent history, human activities have increased significantly the amount

of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These gases—carbon dioxide and

ozone—allow the Sun’s light to pass through the atmosphere and heat the

land and oceans. They also reflect ground-generated heat that otherwise

would escape into space. A similar kind of warming happens in a greenhouse or glass-covered terrarium when the glass traps heat inside. Scientists

have used computer models to predict that global temperatures could rise

as much in the next 100 years as they have over the last 18,000 years.

High and low clouds reflect and pass light differently. High, thin (cirrus)

clouds are like the glass in the jar or terrarium; they let radiation pass through,

but do not let heat out. Low, thick (stratocumulus) clouds, on the other hand,

are cooling clouds; they reflect light away before it reaches the ground.

19

Greenhouse

Effect
Terrarium Observation: Part 5, The Greenhouse.

Fill a terrarium or glass jar with dark soil; place a thermometer inside; cover

the terrarium; and place it in the sunlight for one hour. Take the temperature inside the glass terrarium and compare it to the temperature of the

room. Temperatures are warmer inside the terrarium. Explain what has

happened. The air inside the glass containers represents the atmosphere,

and the dark soil, land. When the soil is heated by the sunlight, the radiated heat is trapped by the glass, creating a greenhouse effect.

Visit a Greenhouse. 

If possible on a cold sunny day, visit a local greenhouse, zoo with a jungle

habitat, botanical garden, or solar-heated atrium. Students can feel what it

is like to be inside a greenhouse. Have the students identify the life-supporting components. What cycles can they identify? Ask them to compare

the greenhouse to their terrarium and to the whole Earth. 

Global Warming Map.

Discuss with students how a temperature change of a few degrees could

drastically change our world. If global temperatures rise, the heat would

melt glacial ice and raise sea levels (see glacier photograph in the lithograph, “Water is a Force of Change). What would happen to us if all the

world’s coasts flooded? On a U.S. map, identify some of the coastal cities

(low-lying areas) that might be covered with water if sea levels rise. What

would happen inland to cities and farms if the climate became warmer?

Are there other ways people’s lives would change due to global warming in

your area? It is okay to speculate.

Global Warming Mural. 

Have students draw a picture of the places around them after global warming has taken place. Display the pictures as part of a mural on “Global

Warming.” The pictures could be mounted on a map of the world.

20

Observation

Field Trip

Activities
Naturally occurring volcanic eruptions and large forest fires can impact the

Earth’s system just like human-caused air pollution. These events can fill

the atmosphere with dust and darken the global “greenhouse roof,” which

results in cooling. This is why scientists must study Earth as a system to

understand how the planet is changing beyond these natural events.

Terrarium: Part 6, Global Cooling.

Cover the terrarium with smoked or dirty glass or colored plastic wrap.

Place it in the sunlight and take the temperature inside the terrarium after an

hour. In the same way that volcanic dust or air pollution has a cooling

effect on the atmosphere, the temperature will not increase as much as it

did when the clear glass was used to cover the terrarium (Terrarium

Observation, Part 5).

Global Cooling.

Examine photos that show urban pollution, volcanic explosions, Amazon

basin fires, and wildland fires in the Los Angeles area. These are sources of

air pollution that have a cooling effect on Earth’s atmosphere. Show photos

of the human activities that cause air pollution and fires. Discuss how people could change their behavior and technology to prevent air pollution. 

21

Observation

Global

Cooling
22
The Mission to Planet Earth is NASA’s program to determine scientifically

whether Earth’s climate is changing and to assess the contribution of human

activities. Scientists are using satellite-borne instruments to measure the

interactions of the atmosphere, oceans, and solid Earth through hydrologic

and biogeochemical cycles. Scientists need data from many sources to get

a better picture of the whole system. You could compare the Mission to

Planet Earth program to other NASA programs where the agency has developed sophisticated instruments and satellites to study the environments of

other planets in our Solar System. 

Satellites are particularly effective because they can cover the entire globe

every few days. They can see a whole ocean at once to study wind, temperatures, and currents. Scientists use advanced computers to analyze the

data from satellites and make predictions using mathematical “models.”

Models could be said to work like a computer game, but in this case, the

game simulates the Earth system. With data about how Earth works as a

system, we can understand human impacts and cooperate as nations to

make sure the planet remains healthy and life-sustaining. 

Scissors, cardboard, paper, string, paint or crayons, egg cartons, paper towel

and toilet paper rolls, paper or foil cupcake holders, paper plates, aluminum

foil, poster paint.

Students will be able to:

• Identify satellite components: antennae, solar arrays, and instruments to 

study Earth from space. 

• Associate color data images with NASA’s Mission to Planet Earth program.

• Recognize that Earth’s climate can be studied by a variety of professionals.

23

MISSI N TO PLANET EARTH

Satellites: Observing the Whole Earth

Introduction

Objectives

Materials

Unit 4
• NASA Lithograph: TOPEX/Poseidon 

• NASA Lithograph: First Image of Global Biosphere

• NASA Lithograph: Viking Orbiter 1 Mars Mosaic

• NASA Lithograph: Sea Surface Temperature

• NASA Lithograph: World Cloud Cover Pattern

• NASA Lithograph: Water is a Force of Change

• NASA Lithograph: Viking Orbiter 1 Mars Mosaic

Computer Model

Data Satellite 

24

Visuals

Vocabulary
25

HIGH POWER

ANTENNA

LOW POWER

ANTENNA SATELLITE 

CONTROLS

THRUSTERS

POWER SYSTEM

INSTRUMENT INSTRUMENT HOUSING

NAVIGATOR 

ANTENNA

SOLAR ARRAY

INSTRUMENT

INSTRUMENT

INSTRUMENT

Satellite Parts

TOPEX/Poseidon
Earth-observing satellites observe our planet from paths called orbits, many

of which are greater than 400 miles above the ground. That distance is at

least as far as Washington, D.C. to Boston, Massachusetts. Satellites are so

high above Earth and travel so quickly that, in the right orbit, a satellite can

pass over every part of Earth once every few days. Such orbits allow satellites

to study and take pictures of all of Earth’s features: land, plant life, oceans,

clouds, and polar ice. Some satellites, such as those used for weather forecasting, are placed in fixed orbits to look at Earth continuously.

Satellite instruments are like special cameras that see and take pictures in

different kinds of light, such as in ultraviolet (invisible energy from the Sun

that causes sunburns) and infrared (heat waves). From satellite data, we can

see farmers’ fields and tell whether crops are healthy. This tells us about the

food supply. We can see the forests and tell where something is killing

trees. This tells foresters that they may need to look for blight or gypsymoth infestations. We can see forest fires and tell how fast the forests are

being cut down. Satellites also see clouds, hurricanes, lightning, and rain.

In addition, we can see the temperatures and movements of ocean currents.

And from the color of the oceans, we can see the abundance of tiny plants,

called phytoplankton, which are an important food source for fish.

Engineers design satellites to support instruments flown in space. Satellites

must be light enough to be carried into space on rockets, yet strong enough

to withstand the forces of launching. The materials used must handle hot

and cold temperature extremes because most satellites will pass from the

day to night side of Earth many times in 24 hours. Scientists use special

paints on the instruments to control temperature. (In Unit One we learned

that dark colors absorb solar heat and light colors reflect it.) Satellites’ solar

cells extend like wings to capture solar energy and convert it into electricity.

When the satellite is on the night side of Earth, it runs on batteries that are

recharged during the day from solar energy.

26

Satellites

Satellite

Design

Instruments
Data come down as electronic signals from satellites, and engineers and scientists convert them into measurements useful to us on Earth. For studying

weather, scientists create maps of clouds. Meteorologists compare the satellite maps to their ground data and learn more about weather patterns.

Scientists compare ocean-color data gathered by a satellite to measurements

taken by oceanographers on ships showing the abundance of phytoplankton. Microwave radar signals from space are compared to rainfall measurements on Earth. Computer engineers organize and store vast quantities of

satellite data so that the information can be sent via computer networks to

scientists around the globe.

In the same way students made a terrarium as a model of Earth, scientists

use computers to create models to predict what will happen when global

changes occur. Will the temperatures rise because of warming caused by

greenhouse gases? Can we see a warming trend even if a major volcano

has erupted? A model is like a “what-if” game. When you play “what-if”

using a computer model, your prediction is based only on available data

and scientific principles.

Demonstrating Heat Sensors.

Show students how heat-sensing instruments work by letting them hold

heat-sensitive cards (frequently given away at health fairs), “mood rings,” or

aquarium thermometers. The warmer you are, the darker the color appears

on the card or ring registering your body temperature. The data in the lithographs, “World Cloud Cover Pattern” and “Global Sea Surface Temperature,”

were collected during observations from satellites carrying heat-sensing or

infrared instruments.

Satellite Construction. 

1. Satellite Construction: Students can make their own satellites out of 

paper, cardboard, and recycled containers. Use foil or plastic wrap on a

cardboard frame for solar arrays; paper or foil plates could be antenna 

dishes; aluminum foil could be a heat-resistant metallic surface. 

Encourage the students to pretend that their satellites are going to 

observe components of the Earth system found in their terrariums or 

27

Modeling

Data

Activities
aquariums. Let them use their imaginations to determine the satellite’s 

shape, instruments, and the equipment it will need according to what 

they are going to observe. When they are finished, hang the satellites 

from the ceiling with fishing line. The satellites could be “observing” 

the terrariums or aquariums or their region of the country. Show students

the lithograph, “TOPEX/Poseidon.” Note in the illustration its orbit and 

what it is observing. Point to the solar arrays, antennae, and instruments.

2. Satellite Launch and Deploy: Divide the class into launch teams; let 

them pick roles and dramatize a Space Shuttle or rocket launch and 

satellite deploy. Use real or invented language for their missions. Each 

child could bring in baseball cap. Attach the job label to the cap; later 

have them try different jobs by switching labels. Such jobs are Mission 

Commander, Payload Commander, Pilot, Mission Specialists, Project 

Scientists, Flight Director.

3. Data: Scientists study Earth by taking measurements of light that we 

cannot see. They assign artificial colors to represent each measurement.

It’s as though you were coloring a picture, and you had to decide which 

crayon to use for each part of the picture. Each child should draw and 

color “data” collected by their satellites (see data map, page 29). Choose

different colors to represent each kind of measurement. For example, 

the healthiest plants could be compared to the progressively more driedout plants. The healthy plants could be represented by reds, oranges 

and yellows. Try the same color scheme to compare conditions in the 

different terrariums. Look at the lithograph, “The First Image of the 

Global Biosphere.” These ocean data are indicated by red and orange 

for high concentrations of plant life in the oceans (phytoplankton), blue 

and violet for lower concentrations. On the land, forests are indicated by

all shades of the color green. Semi-arid steppes and tundra are orange, 

and deserts and ice are yellow. A black and white map of Earth is 

included for classes that want to try coloring global Earth data. 

28
29

Cold Cool Mild Warm Hot

54321

5

4

3

1

5

4

3

2 2

1

4

2

1 2

2

3

4

4

2

4

3

2

4

3

3

2

3

4

3

Our Mission to Planet Earth

Surface Temperature
Mission to Planet Earth Careers.

Let students pick a career. Ask them to tell a story in the form of an autobiography about how their Earth science career (“what I want to be when I

grow up”) could help improve knowledge of Earth or life on Earth.

Improvise a costume and tools. Find or draw pictures of the Earth component they want to study, and ask the students to draw and color examples of

data they will obtain.

1. Atmospheric Chemist: I study the atmosphere over time to understand 

what is natural and what has changed because of pollution. I take samples from aircraft or balloons, conduct laboratory experiments, and create computer models.

2. Climatologist: I study weather on a big scale over a long period of 

time—even centuries. I gather samples that show long-term histories, 

like those taken from the bottom of the ocean or from polar ice cores. I 

also study the growth rings of trees, and then I predict the future climate.

3. Mathematician Computer Scientist: I invent and improve computers 

and programs to study data about Earth. I know how to create programs

on computers that are more complicated than computer games. I make

the work of many scientists possible by keeping all the satellite information easy to access and understand.

4. Sociologist: I study people in large populations—how they live, grow 

food, and manufacture things. From what I learn about large numbers 

of people, I can help predict what people could do to the environment. 

My work helps decision makers make policies that help prevent damages to the environment. 

5. Ecologist: I study various forms of life on Earth and how they interact. I 

go out in ships or use aircraft and satellites to measure where and how 

healthy the plants and animals are in their habitats. See the lithograph, 

“First Image of the Global Biosphere.” We can learn from observing the 

abundance of life what changes are occurring environmentally on Earth.

30

Activity

Careers
31

1 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12

2
6. Geologist/Geophysicist: I study how Earth is formed, what has happened to it since then, and what might happen to it in the future. I 

study volcanoes, earthquakes, and landslides. I can study rocks and 

rock formations and determine the geological history of an area.

7. Glaciologist: I study glaciers in the Arctic and Antarctic as well as 

those formed in the tallest mountains. I study temperatures, snow accumulation, and deep ice cores to understand what is happening to the 

glaciers. I also use satellites and aircraft to get these data (see lithograph;

“Water is a Force of Change”).

8. Hydrologist: I study the water cycle. I study where the water goes, 

what elements it contains, and whether its chemistry has changed. My 

research often is used to determine where droughts occur and why 

fish populations decline.

9. Meteorologist: I study weather, the local short-term changes that affect 

how we live every day. I use satellites and ground measurements to 

predict the weather. You can see some meteorologists on television 

news. See the lithographs, “World Cloud Cover Pattern” and “Water is

a Force of Change” (hurricane photograph).

10. Oceanographer: I study oceans and how they change. I work on ships 

or in aircraft and get data from floats and satellites. See the lithograph,

“Global Sea Surface Temperature.”

11. Volcanologist: Using ground instruments, I study volcanoes and how 

they influence the climate. I use satellite and robots to gather data 

when the volcanoes are active and become too dangerous to go near. 

12. Planetologist: I study planets other than Earth. When I compare planets 

like Mars, which has very little water compared to Earth, I can learn more

about what could happen to our planet. The only way I can study Mars 

is by observing the planet with large telescopes or using data collected 

by satellites, such as that obtained by Voyager. Compare the lithograph 

of Earth from space with the litho, “Viking Orbiter 1 Mars Mosaic.” 

32
NASA’s Central Operation of Resources for Educators (CORE) was established for the

national and international distribution of NASA-produced educational materials in audiovisual

format. Educators can obtain a catalogue and an order form by one of the following methods:

• NASA CORE

Lorain County Joint Vocational School

15181 Route 58 South

Oberlin, OH 44074

• Phone (440) 774-1051, Ext. 249 or 293

• Fax (440) 774-2144

• E-mail nasaco@leeca.esu.k12.oh.us

• Home Page: http://spacelink.nasa.gov/CORE

Educator Resource Center Network

To make additional information available to the education community, the NASA Education

Division has created the NASA Educator Resource Center (ERC) network. ERCs contain a wealth

of information for educators: publications, reference books, slide sets, audio cassettes, videotapes,

telelecture programs, computer programs, lesson plans, and teacher guides with activities.

Educators may preview, copy, or receive NASA materials at these sites. Because each NASA Field

Center has its own areas of expertise, no two ERCs are exactly alike. Phone calls are welcome if

you are unable to visit the ERC that serves your geographic area. A list of the centers and the

regions they serve includes:

33

NASA Resources for Educators

AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, 

UT, WA, WY

NASA Educator Resource Center

Mail Stop 253-2

NASA Ames Research Center

Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000

Phone: (650) 604-3574

CT, DE, DC, ME, MD, MA, NH, 

NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

NASA Educator Resource Laboratory

Mail Code 130.3

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Greenbelt, MD 20771-0001

Phone: (301) 286-8570
CO, KS, NE, NM, ND, OK, SD, TX

JSC Educator Resource Center

Space Center Houston

NASA Johnson Space Center

1601 NASA Road One

Houston, TX 77058-3696

Phone: (281) 483-8696

FL, GA, PR, VI

NASA Educator Resource Laboratory

Mail Code ERL

NASA Kennedy Space Center

Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899-0001

Phone: (407) 867-4090

KY, NC, SC, VA, WV

Virginia Air and Space Museum

NASA Educator Resource Center for

NASA Langley Research Center

600 Settler’s Landing Road

Hampton, VA 23669-4033

Phone: (757) 727-0900 x 757

IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI

NASA Educator Resource Center

Mail Stop 8-1

NASA Lewis Research Center

21000 Brookpark Road

Cleveland, OH 44135-3191

Phone: (216) 433-2017

AL, AR, IA, LA, MO,TN

U.S. Space and Rocket Center

NASA Educator Resource Center for 

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

P.O. Box 070015

Huntsville, AL 35807-7015

Phone: (205) 544-5812

MS

NASA Educator Resource Center

Building 1200

NASA John C. Stennis Space Center

Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-6000

Phone: (228) 688-3338

NASA Educator Resource Center

JPL Educational Outreach

Mail Stop CS-530

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

4800 Oak Grove Drive

Pasadena, CA 91109-8099

Phone: (818) 354-6916

CA cities near the center

NASA Educator Resource Center for

NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

45108 N. 3rd Street East

Lancaster, CA 93535

Phone: (805) 948-7347

VA and MD’s Eastern Shores

NASA Educator Resource Lab

Education Complex

Visitor Center Building J-1

NASA Wallops Flight Facility

Wallops Island, VA 23337-5099

Phone: (757) 824-2297/2298

34

Regional Educator Resource Centers (RERCs) offer more educators access to NASA educational materials. NASA has formed partnerships with universities, museums, and other educational institutions to serve as RERCs in many states. A complete list of RERCs is available through

CORE, or electronically via NASA Spacelink at http://spacelink.nasa.gov
NASA On-line Resources for Educators provide current educational information and

instructional resource materials to teachers, faculty, and students. A wide range of information is

available, including science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education lesson plans,

historical information related to the aeronautics and space program, current status reports on

NASA projects, news releases, information on NASA educational programs, useful software and

graphics files. Educators and students can also use NASA resources as learning tools to explore the

Internet, accessing information about educational grants, interacting with other schools which are

already on-line, and participating in on-line interactive projects, communicating with NASA scientists, engineers, and other team members to experience the excitement of real NASA projects.

Access these resources through the NASA Education Home Page: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/education

NASA Television (NTV) is the Agency’s distribution system for live and taped programs. It

offers the public a front-row seat for launches and missions, as well as informational and educational programming, historical documentaries, and updates on the latest developments in aeronautics and space science. NTV is transmitted on the GE-2 satellite, Transponder 9C at 85

degrees West longitude, vertical polarization, with a frequency of 3880 megahertz, and audio of

6.8 megahertz.

Apart from live mission coverage, regular NASA Television programming includes a Video File from

noon to 1:00 pm, a NASA Gallery File from 1:00 to 2:00 pm, and an Education File from 2:00 to

3:00 pm (all times Eastern). This sequence is repeated at 3:00 pm, 6:00 pm, and 9:00 pm, Monday

through Friday. The NTV Education File features programming for teachers and students on science,

mathematics, and technology. NASA Television programming may be videotaped for later use. 

For more information on NASA Television, contact: 

NASA Headquarters

Code P-2

NASA TV

Washington, DC 20546-0001 

Phone: (202) 358-3572 

NTV Home Page: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/ntv.html

How to Access NASA’s Education Materials and Services, EP-1996-11-345-HQ

This brochure serves as a guide to accessing a variety of NASA materials and services for educators. Copies are available through the ERC network, or electronically via NASA Spacelink. NASA

Spacelink can be accessed at the following address: http://spacelink.nasa.gov

35
Listed below are additional Mission to Planet Earth Materials available through the Educator

Resource Center Network or NASA Spacelink.

Teacher • “Atlas 1 Earth’s Mysterious Atmosphere Teacher’s Guide” (EP-282 11/91)

Guides • “La misteriosa atmosfera de la Tierra” (EP290 3/93)

• Atlas 2 Teacher’s Guide with Activities: Atmospheric Detectives 

(EP285 11/92)

Lithographs • “Earth View” HQL-331

• “Nimbus-7 TOMS Images: The 8 Marches” HQL -366

• “Nimbus-7 TOMS Images: The 12 Octobers” HQL-308

• “Nimbus-7 Ocean Ice Maps” HQL-319

• “NASA and World Food Production” HQL-305

• “The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite” HQL-207

Brochure • “NASA’ s Mission to Planet Earth”

The following Mission to Planet Earth materials are available by writing Goddard Space Flight

Center, Educator Resource Center, Code 130, Greenbelt, MD 20771

Fact Sheets • “EOS: Understanding Earth on a Global Scale”

Mission to Planet Earth series:

• “Ozone: What is it and why do we care about it?”

• “Clouds and the Energy Cycle”

• “El Niño”

• “Global Warming”

• “Volcanoes”

• “Biosphere”

• “Polar Ice”

NASA Facts are documents that provide general information and background on NASA-related

missions, research topics and activities.

36
The following videos, slide sets, and videodisc are available through CORE:

Videos • “Liftoff to Learning: The Atmosphere Below”

• “TOPEX/Poseidon: A Mission to Planet Earth” (9 minutes)

• “Mission to Planet Earth” Satellite Video Conference

April 14, 1993 ($24.00 plus $3.50 shipping)

Slide Sets “Atlas 1: Studying Mysteries in the Earth’s Atmosphere”

“Volcanoes of Hawaii and the Planets”

Space Shuttle Earth Observing Photography Videodisc contains approximately 91,500 still

images of the Earth taken during Space Shuttle missions from 1981-1991. The videodisc package

includes the videodisc, a guide to the images, and two IBM-formatted disks containing an image

description database. The price for the package is $55 and is available from NASA CORE.

37
EP-1997-12-292-HQ

Office of Mission to Planet Earth

Office of Human Resources 

and Education
Lithographs for Use with this Packet

• Apollo 17 View of Earth

• Water is a Force of Change 

• Global Sea Surface Temperature

• First Image of the Global Biosphere

• World Cloud Cover Pattern

• Topex/Poseidon

• Viking Orbiter 1 Mars Mosaic

NASA

Lithographs

World Cloud Cover Pattern

This illustration, produced by the Goddard

Institute for Space Studies New York, NY, as a

part of NASA’s program of Earthscience research, show the world’s cloud cover

pattern on October 15, 1983, assembled from

weather satellite images made at infrared

wavelengths. Although a single image of Earth’s

cloud cover had been assembled from multiple

satellite images before, this picture is the first

time that an image had been collected for such

a small time period, in this case only about one

hour. This kind of information enables scientists

to study global cloudiness to improve our

understanding of how clouds affect climate.

The images were taken from two National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

(NOAA) polar orbiting satellites and the geostationary satellites: METEOSTAT, operated by the

European Space Agency; GMS, operated by the

Japanese Meteorological Agency; and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite

(GOES)-EAST and GOES-WEST operated by

NOAA. The colors show the temperature at

each location depending on whether clouds are

present or not. Areas not covered by clouds are

either oceans or land depending upon their

location or ice or snow covered according to

other data sets. They are represented by an

aqua color scale for ice or snow, a blue color

scale for water, and a yellow color scale for land.

For cloudy locations, colder temperatures are

indicated by brighter grey shades. Thus, the

same temperature value may have four different

colors depending on its classification. All

temperatures scales are expressed in degrees

Kelvin.

The data illustrated in this picture have been

collected by the International Satellite Cloud

Climatology Project of the World Climate

Research Program since July 1983. Analysis of

these data provides an unprecedented view of

the world’s cloud formations. Although scientific

study of clouds has been carried out with both

ground and aircraft instruments for many

decades, only with the use of satellites in the

last 15-20 years have scientists been able to

see the larger scale and global view of could

structures.

This study is part of NASA’s multiyear global

research program called Mission to Planet Earth

that will use ground-based, airborne and spacebased instruments to study Earth as a complete

environmental system. Mission to Planet Earth

is NASA’s contribution to the U.S. Global

Change Research Program, a multi-agency

effort to understand, analyze, and better predict

the effect of human activity on Earth’s environment. Goddard Space Flight Center’s projects

for Mission to Planet Earth include: the Upper

Atmosphere Research Satellite Mission; Earth

Probes, such as the Tropical Rainfall Measuring

Mission; the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer; and the Earth Observing System, the most

ambitious science mission ever undertaken.

For The Classroom

Research topics:

• Cloud formation

• Latent heat

• Satellite orbits

1. Have students keep a daily log in which they

measure and record the temperature and

observe percent cloud cover the same time

each day. Continue this for one month and

then graph the results. Do the students see

any trends or relationships?

2. Have students research the different types of

satellite orbits. Why are two different orbits

(polar orbiting and geostationary) used to get

images like the one on this lithograph.

3. After discussing the characteristics of low

pressure systems, have students find a major

low pressure system on the lithograph.

4. How many different colors can be used to

represent 295 degrees Kelvin on this lithograph?

World Cloud Cover Pattern National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Goddard Space Flight Center

HqL-326

Apollo 17 View of Earth

Just hours after its liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the crew of

Apollo 17 found themselves aligned with Earth and the Sun, enabling them to

take this full disk view of Earth. The astronauts were coasting towards the Moon,

approximately 40,000 kilometers from Earth, when this picture was taken.

Because the mission took place during the beginning of the summer in the

Southern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere is brightly Iit by the Sun. The

entire continent of Africa, much of the ice-locked continent of Antarctica, and

small portions of Europe and the Asian mainland are visible in this photograph.

Tawny colored land masses on Africa are the Sahara, Libyan, and Arabian

deserts. The dark band across Africa is the grasscovered savannah and the

areas covered most y wilh broken clouds are the tropical rain forests. To the east

of Africa is the island of Madagascar. Extensive weather systems of swirling

clouds generated in Earth’s atmosphere are visible from space

Apollo 17 lifted off at 12:33 a.m. on December 7, 1972. It was the last of the

Apollo expeditions to the Moon. Onboard were astronauts Eugene A. Cernan

(commander), Ronald E. Evans (pilot), and Harrison H. Schmitt (lunar module

pilot). Three days later, their twin spacecraft, the America (command and service

modules) and the Challenger (lunar lander), entered lunar orbit. Twenty-three

hours later, Challenger with Cernan and Schmitt onboard, touched down on the

lunar surface in the Taurus-Littrow region. Over the next three days, Cernan and

Schmitt explored the lunar surface, deployed experiments, and collected 115

kilograms of lunar rock and soil to return to Earth for analysis and study. Following a three-day return voyage, the crew rode America back into Earth s atmosphere and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.

For the Classroom

1. How big did Earth appear to the Apollo 17 crewmembers when this picture was

taken? Set up a scale model of the positions of Earth and Apollo 17 by placing

a globe on a table and standing back from it at a scale distance representing

40,000 kilometers. To determine that distance, measure the diameter of the

globe in centimeters. This can be done with dividers or by wrapping a string

around the globe. Measure the string’s length in centimeters and solve the

following equation for diameter: C=πd

Next, calculate the scale of your globe by dividing the diameter of Earth

(12,756 kilometers) by the diameter of the globe in centimeters. If the answer is

500, for example, the scale of the model is 1 centimeter equals 500 kilometers.

2. Compare this picture to world maps. Are the shapes and relative sizes of

Africa, Antarctica, and Madagascar the same in both the picture and the

maps? If not, why is there a difference?

3. Notice the thickness of Earth s atmosphere along Earth’s limb (the apparent

outer edge) in this picture. Why is it so thin? (Consider how thick the atmosphere would appear in the scale of the picture and how the density of the

atmosphere changes with altitude.)

4. Over the past few decades, the island of Madagascar has experienced

extensive deforestation. How might this land look in a picture taken from space

today?

Reference

To learn more about the Apollo 17 mission to the Moon, look up the publication

listed below:

NASA, (1975), Apollo Expeditions to the Moon. National Aeronautics and

Space Administration, SP-350, Washington, D.C.

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

HqL-363

As we look at Earth from the vantage point ot outer space, we can’t but help notice how important water is to Earth’s surface. Three quarters of our

planet is covered with liquid and frozen water. The land surface is shaped by water’s movements. Living things need water for survival. Water exists as

vapor in the atmosphere and is the stuff of clouds. As a renewable resource, water transforms through three states of matter— solid, liquid, and—gas

as it cycles from the oceans to the atmosphere, to the land, and back to the oceans. Water and its effects are the dominant features Space Shuttle

astronauts see from space. Water is a powerful force of change.

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Upper left: Hurricane Bonnie, Atlantic Ocean (STS 47-151-618)

Among the most destructive forces of nature, hurricanes and

typhoons are driven by the Sun’s heath and act as a great pressure

relief valve for Earth’s atmosphere. The view of Hurricane Bonnie was

captured by the Crew of STS-47 as the storm swirled about 800

kilometers away from Bermuda near 35.4 degrees north latitude and

56.8 degrees west. At this stage in its life, Hurricane Bonnie has welldeveloped eye where air currents are relatively calm. Window reflections are visible on the right side of the picture.

Lower left: Glaciers in the Andes Mountains (STS 48-151-074)

Although much slower as an agent of change than is nunning water,

mountain glaciers dramatically alter the land as the ice in them

slowIy flows to lower elevations. Wrenching rock and soil from valley

floors and walls, glaciers sculpt the land as they deposit sediment at

their lower end. In this STS-48 picture, some of the most dramatic

landscape in the Americas is seen. The Andes mountain range near

Patagonia, Argentina is partly covered by a permanent ice cap that

is part of the Los Glacieres National Park. One glacier is seen

cutting off an arm of Lake Argentina (top). Water backs up behind

the glacier and eventually gives way in spring in a thunderous burst

that can be heard as far as 40 kilometers away.

Upper right: Nile River Delta/Sinai Desert (STS 50-153-020)

The presence and the absence of water are both clearly seen in this

STS-50 view of the Sinai Peninsula from the Nile river into Iraq. The

Fayum Depression, the well-watered valley of the lower Nile, and the

fertile Nile Delta are dark in contrast to the lighter orange and yellow of

the surrounding desert. The boundary between the light desert and darker

brush land marks the Egypt-lsrael border. Other color variations are

caused by differences in bedrock composition and weathering.

Lower right: Mouth of the Amazon River (STS 46-80-009)

Though slow-moving at its mouth, the Amazon River has deposited millions

of cubic meters of sediment into the Atlantic Ocean. Up river, heavy tropical

rains cover the Amazon Basin and wash away thin tropical topsoil to the

sea. Converting rain forest to agricultural land aggravates the erosion. The

sediment plume from the river extends past the delta, built up of deposited

sediment, and bends to the north to hug the coast. The plume is driven

northward by the west by northwest Guyana Current. The large island of

Marajo is partly visible through the widespread scattered cloud cover. The

stnucture to the side of the picture is the remote manipulator system arm of

the Shuttle orbiter.

Space Shuttle Earth Photography

A videodisc containing over 91,000 images of Earth taken by Space Shuttle astronauts is available for a modest charge from NASA CORE, Lorain

County Joint Vocational School, 15181 Route 58 South, Oberlin, OH 44074. The images on the disk contain all Earth-looking still images taken

during the STS-1 through STS-44 missions. A computer data base listing image data is available for both DOS and Macintosh formats.

Water is a Force of Change

June 1994 HqL-401

This illustration of Earth’s sea surface

temperature is part of NASA Goddard

Space Flight Center’s program of Earthscience research. It was obtained from two

weeks of infrared observations by the

Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer

(AVHRR), an instrument on board NOAA-7

during July, 1984.

Temperatures are color coded with red

being warmest and decreasing through

oranges, yellows, greens, and blues.

Temperature patterns seen in this image

are the result of many influences including

the circulation in the ocean, surface winds,

and solar heating. Major ocean currents

such as the Gulf Stream off the United

States East Coast, the Kuroshio off the

East Coast of Japan, the mixing of the

Brazil and Falkland currents off the eastern

coast of South America, and the Agulhas

off southern Africa, appear as meandering

boundaries of cool and warm waters.

The image indicates a large pool of water in

the Western Pacific and a tongue of relatively cold water extending along the Equator westward from South America. Every

few years, there occurs an interrelated set

of changes in the global atmospheric and

oceanic circulation known as an El Niño in

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Goddard Space Flight Center

which the region of warm equatorial water

in the west extends eastward across the

Pacific and blankets the cool, productive

regions along the coast of South America.

Fish, birds, and marine mammals that

depend upon the normally phytoplanktonrich waters often die in large numbers

during El Niño.

Images of sea surface temperature such as

this help scientists to better monitor and

ultimately understand the changes to Earth

caused by events such as El Niño.

This study is part of NASA’s multiyear

global research program called Mission to

Planet Earth. It will use ground-based,

airborne and space-based instruments to

study Earth as a complete environmental

system. Mission to Planet Earth is NASA’s

contribution to the U.S. Global Change

Research Program, a multi-agency effort to

understand, analyze, and predict better the

effect on human activity on Earth’s environment. Goddard Space Flight Center’s

projects for Mission to Planet Earth include:

the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite

Mission; Earth Probes, such as the Tropical

Rainfall Measuring Mission; the Total Ozone

Mapping Spectrometer; and the most

ambitious science mission ever undertaken,

the Earth Observing System.

For the Classroom

Research Topics:

• El Niño

• Upwelling

• Major ocean currents

• Mission to Planet Earth

1. Have students, individually or in teams,

consult the Reader’s Guide to Periodical

Literature and compile a bibliography of

articles dealing with different facets of

Mission to Planet Earth (ocean temperatures, international cooperation, etc.).

2. John Muir, an American Naturalist, once

said “When we try to pick out anything by

itself, we find it hitched to everything else

in the universe.”

Using this statement as a writing prompt,

have students explain its meaning and

how it can be applied to the goal of

Mission to Planet Earth.

3. Using this lithograph and a labeled

world map, have the students list countries influenced by cool currents and list

ways in which these countries might be

affected by these currents.

Global Sea Surface Temperature

Global Sea Surface Temperature

HqL-324

This illustration of the global biosphere is part of

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s program of

Earth-science research. It shows, for the first time,

the patterns of plant life both on the land and in the

oceans as observed from space. The illustration was

produced by combining data from two different

satellites and shows Earth as a complex system,

teeming with life.

Ocean Measurements

The ocean portion is a composite of more than

66,000 images collected between November 1978

and June 1986 by the Coastal Zone Color Scanner

(CZCS), which flew on the Goddard-managed

NIMBUS-7 satellite launched in October 1978. The

ocean color measurements made by the CZCS

indicate the distribution and abundance of phytoplankton in Earth’s oceans. Phytoplankton are

microscopic plants that grow in the upper sunlight

regions of the ocean and are the ultimate food source

for most marine life. Their uptake of carbon dioxide

during photosynthesis is also be a key factor in

helping us to better understand the role of the oceans

in the global carbon cycle.

Red and orange colors indicate areas of high

concentrations. Yellow and green represent areas of

moderate concentrations. Blue and violet colors

represent the lowest concentrations.

The high phytoplankton concentrations along coasts

and other regions where wind and currents mix the

cooler, nutrient-rich waters near the surface, are often

rich with fish and wildlife.

Land Measurements

The land vegetation image is a composite of three

years of data, collected during 15,000 orbits from the

Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer

(AVHRR) flown on the NOAA-7 satellite, launched in

June 1981. The AVHRR measured land-surface

radiation, which can be a measure of the potential for

vegetation production on land.

The dark green areas (rain forests) show the highest

potential for vegetation growth. The lighter shades of

green highlight tropical and subtropical forests,

temperate forests and farmlands, and some drier

regions such as savannas and pampas. The yellow

shades in the United States Midwest show lower

potential. The great deserts of the world are evident

as the lighter shades of yellow. The snow and ice

covered regions are shown to have no productive

potential in this image.

This study is part of NASA’s multiyear global research program called Mission to Planet Earth that

will use ground-based, airborne and space-based

instruments to study Earth as a complete environmental system. Mission to Planet Earth is NASA’s

contribution to the U.S. Global Change Research

Program, a multiagency effort to understand, analyze,

and better predict the effect of human activity on

Earth’s environment. Goddard Space Flight Center’s

projects for Mission to Planet Earth include: the

Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite Mission; Earth

Probes, such as the Tropical Rainfall Measuring

Mission; the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer; and

the Earth Observing System, the most ambitious

science mission ever undertaken.

For the Classroom

Research topics:

• Remote sensing

• Phytoplankton and their requirements

• Global carbon cycles

• El Niño

• Meteorological satellites

1. Rapid increases in phytoplankton biomass are

known as “blooms.” In the tropics, “blooms,” are

stimulated by upwelling of cool, nutrient-rich

subsurface waters. “Blooms” in temperate and

polar seas are caused by a different mechanism.

What factor stimulates these seasonal blooms in

temperate and polar seas? Remember that

phytoplankton are plants and have certain

requirements.

Answer: Amount of sunlight

2. According to the image on this lithograph, which

continent has the largest percentage of tropical/

temperate forests? Why is this area one of global

concern? How will images such as this assist

those in the study of deforestation?

Answer: a. South America

 b. Problems related to deforestation,

 global warming, etc.

 c. One way the images will assist

 scientists is in speeding the gathering

 of data regarding rates and areas of

 deforestation.

3. Have students create their own images by mapping

the vegetation in the school area or a nearby park.

Have them develop a color scale that demonstrates where vegetation is present and where it is

not. You could have them get more involved by

having herbaceous plants represented by a

different color than woody plants.

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Goddard Space Flight Center

First Image of the Global Biosphere

First Image of the Global Biosphere

HqL-325

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration Viking Orbiter 1 Mars Mosaic

Viking Orbiter 1 Mars Mosaic

It has been more than 15 years since the Viking mission spacecraft first approached Mars. There were four spacecraft that made the journey to the red

planet. The Viking 1 and 2 landers entered Mars’s thin atmosphere and, by using

parachutes and then breaking rockets, came to rest on the surface. Viking Orbiters

1 and 2 remained in orbit. Although all Viking spacecraft are now silent, the data

collected by them is stiil providing scientists with new insights about this solar

system neighbor.

Using the Planetary Image Cartography System (PICS) developed at the

U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona, Tammy Becker, Alfred S. McEwen, and

Larry Soderblom recently processed 102 Viking Orbiter 1 images taken of Mars in

1980 to form this dramatic mosaic of nearly a full hemisphere of the planet. PICS,

a computer-based system, permitted each image to be aligned with the others in

a manner like fitting together the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Image distortions were

adjusted by PICS to provide perfect border matches. To bring out detail, color

variations of the dark materials were enhanced by a factor oi about two and

brightness variations of the images adjusted to provide consistency across the

hemisphere. The view is comparable to what would be seen from a spacecraft

orbiting 2,500 kilometers above the surface of the planet.

The center of the Mars mosaic shows the entire Valles Marineris, a

canyon system that stretches over 3,000 kilometers in length and is up to 8

kilometers deep. The Grand Canyon of Earth compares to just one of the tributary

canyons of this giant system. Layers of bright material in the eastern and central

region of the canyon may be carbonate-rich sediments deposited in an ancient

lake. Huge ancient river channels, such as Kasai Valles, stretch northward from

the central and western regions of the canyon.

South of Valles Marineris is very ancient terrain covered by many impact

craters. North of the eastern end of the Valles Marineris is the Chryse Planitia. The

Viking 1 spacecraft landed in the place indicated on the sketch map.

To the west of Valles Marineris lie three of Mars’s huge volcanoes. The

Tharsis volcanoes, as they are known, appear as dark reddish spots. Each

volcano is about 25 kilometers high, over 350 kilometers in diameter, and has a

central crater at its summit. The most famous member of the Tharsis volcanoes,

Olympus Mons, is not visible in the mosaic. It lies approximately 1,100 kilometers

west of Ascraeus Mons.

For the Classroom

1. Research the Latin roots of surface feature names on Mars such as

labyrinthus, mons, planitia, and valles.

2. Learn about the life and accomplishments of Percival Lowell.

3. To visualize the size of the Martian features found on this mosaic, draw an

outline of the United States on a separate piece of paper to the same scale as

the mosaic. Cut out the outline and place it on the mosaic for comparison.

(The distance between the central craters of Ascraeus Mons and Pavonis

Mons is approximately 700 km.)

References

Carr, M. H., ed., (1984), Geology of the Terrestrial Planets, NASA SP-469,

NASA Scientific and Technical information Branch, Washington, DC.

Greeley, R. & Batson, R. M., ed., (1991), Planetary Mapping, Cambridge

University Press, New York.

NASA, (1978), The Martian Landscape, NASA SP-425, NASA Scientific and

Technical information Branch, Washington, DC.

Spitzer, G. R., ed., (1980), Viking Orbiter Views of Mars, NASA SP-441,

NASA Scientific and Technical information Branch, Washington, DC.

Ascraeus Mons

Pavonis Mons

Arsia Mons

Valles Marineris

Kasai Valles

Chryse Planitia and

the Viking 1 Lander Site

(Mutch Memorial Station)

Noctis

Labryinthus

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

TOPEX/Poseidon

TOPEX/Poseidon

The Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/

Poseidon is a cooperative project between

the United States and France to develop and

operate an advanced satellite system dedicated to observing Earth’s oceans. The

mission provides global sea level measurements with an unprecedented accuracy. The

data from TOPEX/Poseidon is used to determines global ocean circulation and to understand how the oceans interact with the

atmosphere. This understanding improves

our ability to predict global climate.

For this joint mission, the National Aeronautics

and Space Administration (NASA) provided

the satellite bus and five instruments with

their associated ground elements. NASA’s

Jet Propulsion Laboratory is responsible for

project management and operates and

controls the satellite through NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. The

Centre Nationale d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES)

furnished two instruments with their associated ground elements and dedicated a

launch on an Ariane rocket. Both CNES and

NASA provided precision orbit determination,

and processed and distributed data to scientists from more than nine nations.

In the summer of 1992, an Ariane rocket

launched TOPEX/Poseidon into orbit from

the European Space Agency’s Space Center

located in Kourou, French Guiana. From its

orbit 830 miles (1,336 kilometers) above

Earth’s surface, TOPEX/Poseidon makes sea

level measurements along the same path

every 10 days using the dual frequency

altimeter developed by NASA and the CNES

single frequency solid-state altimeter. This

information relates changes in ocean currents

with atmospheric and climate patterns.

Measurements from NASA’s Microwave Radiometer provides estimates of the total water

vapor content in the atmosphere, which is used

to correct errors in the altimeter measurements.

These combined measurements allow scientists to chart the height of the seas across

ocean basins with an accuracy of 5 centimeters.

Three independent techniques determine the

satellite altitude to within 5 centimeters. NASA’s

Laser Retroreflector Array is used with a

network of 10 to 15 satellite laser ranging

stations to provide tne baseline tracking data

for precision orbit determination and calibration

of the radar altimeter bias. The DORIS system

provides an alternate set of tracking data using

microwave Doppler techniques. The system is

composed of an onboard receiver and a network of 40 to 50 ground transmitting stations,

providing all-weather global tracking of the

satellite. NASA’s Global Positioning System

Demonstration Receiver demonstrated a new

technique for precise, continuous tracking of

the spacecraft.

TOPEX/Poseidon is vital part of a strategic

research effort to explore ocean circulation and

its interaction with the atmosphere. It was timed

to coincide with and complement a number of

international oceanographic and meteorological

programs, including the World Circulation

Experiment (WOCE) and the Tropical Ocean

and Global Atmosphere (TOGA) Program, both

of which are sponsored by the World Climate

Research Program (WCRP). TOPEX/Poseidon

will build the foundation for a continuing program of long-term observations of ocean

circulation from space, and for an extensive

ocean monitoring program in the next century.

HqL-322
Our Mission to Planet Earth—

A Guide to Teaching Earth System Science

EDUCATOR REPLY CARD

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